Hey guys I'm looking for any 49-51 merc owners. The reason I'm asking is because I was wondering if you have any great Sites that you used or went through for stock or aftermarket parts ie rocker panels, hubcaps, aftermarket blue halogen headlight kits or what ever link you have to help a newly owner out. Also I'm looking for great books on getting started with body work mostly primer and sanding help and if you could let me know about any mistakes you might have made with your merc and what you dont recommend doing. Thanks alot for your help George
Mr Merc was the man out West...sold out and I believe Mercuryland bought it. They have a ton of stuff...google Mercuryland. Green Mountain makes patches, I have never used them tho.
cool! yeah I talked with a guy at the del mar rod show and he told me about Mr. Merc but when I ran a search I found nothing. thanks for the info Ill check it out right now.
Can,t vouch for quality but here's a place. http://store.shermanparts.com/cgi-bin/sherman/product_list.html?img_num=523
Rockers are on ebay frequently...and at the price Im sure they fit like dog****. I just did outers on my 51 Ford using Dennis Carpenter stuff. Fit like a glove. That doesnt help much tho for a Merc. For the rear its just going to come down to measuring @ the junkyard. There are too many applications that fit to list. I think surface to surface is approx 61" which is pretty wide. Im sure older Camaros/Novas will work, and a ton of coil rears work...cutting off perches and welding on your perches is going to be standard work for most swaps tho...keep that in mind. Your Merc have overdrive? It would be a chrome T handle similar to ebrake release, but smaller and on the rite side of the column. Would also have a kickdown switch under the accel pedal. Mind did....STEEP gears in the rear. Chevy is going to be the easiest swap for a Merc, cheapest, and probably the best all around. Cooler than a nailhead, hemi etc? Nope...but could be done on the cheap and driven all day and nite. Plus kits are bolt in, Ford swap kits are weld in and Ford stuff is always more of a challenge to work with. Im using Ford as I have a *****in setup and frankly Im tired of tripping over it...its going to go in something already lol. Be easy on the air ride...sounds like you are just starting out...and thats not really a 1 nite bolt in job...that takes some work. I have 4" blocks in the rear of my Merc and some homemade blocks in the front...sits nice and low. Start slow...sounds like you already have a laundry list of stuff that is suited for a pretty competant fabricator...perhaps not someone just "learning how to work on a car" Do the drivetrain swap, mostly bolt in...drive it and go from there.
well i know i do have alot of ideas but this project i know will take a long long time to finish. when i get it (its being shipped) im just going to get it running and then drive it till it dies. ill start looking into a chevy swap and trying to find a rear that will hold up. as for my flatty yes it does have OD. as for you blocks can you just use the blocks you buy at auto zone? do you have any links or anything that can point me into the right direction about looking into what engine to get ?
Do not try to save a buck when buying rocker panels. A lot of them do not have the correct contour. I used Green Mountain for inner rockers and they fit very well. I would go to them first next time. Neal
Rockers on e-Bay are so far off, I wonder what car they were actually made for. I had to completely rework them to fit, and I've only got one side semi-ready to go...and I have to match what I did on the other side. Had to re-bend and recontour them completely. Since Sherman's is close on price to the ebay ones, I bet they are garbage too. Last set of good rockers I saw were going for about $200 each.
I used: Green mountain for rockers-good Mr Merc for everything - good. see above. I have not used Mercuryland because I was close to finished by the transition time. Glenn Marion advertises in Hemmings. He knows Mercs and has lots of used parts. I have bought stuff from him. Headlights from night prowlers I have done all the ch***is swap air ride etc. I agree with others that you should take that step more carefully than I did. If you get that far I am happy to offer advice/stories There is a guy in Hemmings that offers restored Accessory sterring wheels. He made me some emblems for my garnish mouldings that are spectacular. I think if asked he could remanufacture any plastic parts. keep the faith good luck
Congrats on getting your Merc. I have a 51. 1971-73 Mustang 9 inch Ford rear is exactly the same width as the stock Merc (61 1/4 inches drum to drum). That rear is 28 spline. Type the words 9 inch rear into your computer search box and you will find tons of info. The stock Merc rear is really a very strong rear and will hold up well with a flatty. Only problem is the gear ratio on most mercs is pretty low, unless you have the mercomatic.. But if your Merc has OD you will be ok. Other rears will also fit the merc. I used Green Mountain floor pans, trunk floor, inner rockers and outer rockers. Good sheet metal is very hard to find. First thing you will want to do is repair any rust. Also, type the words IMOA into your computer search box. That's International Mercury Owners ***ociation. Ebay has lots of parts too. PM me if you want to ask more questions once you get the merc. jim
thanks for all the advice. yeah i ran a search and i heard Mr. Merc isnt around anymore. mercuryland is cool but ive heard great things from everyone about Green mountain. i tried a search to find their site but couldnt. do you by chance have the link to their page? what happend with your air ride? what should i be carefull of? any help would be great thanks again
right on! yeah ill hit you up when i get it and take a look at what it needs. from what he said the floors trunk and frame are all in awesome condition but he said i need to do the rockers. when i get it ill take alot of picks and see what you think needs to be done. im new at all this so i have no idea where to start. my plans are to just get it running and drive the **** out of it maybe sand it down and swap out the suspension. i think they look pretty cool stock and lowered. thanks again
If you have the equipment I have all the measurements to make all of your own sheetmetal, including the rockers. But if you can probably droppin the money for sheetmetal would be best. Green mountain is the only ones I know of that make anything. The ebay rocker panel repops ****, they are the cheap JC whitney pair. Nothing wrong with a SBC in that engine bay..keep the flattie for a roadster. Mercuryland was at carlisle and they have everything. Getting running first then work on the other stuff...and yeah..the blocks from pepboys are fine. tok
Check out the thread by Pro Stock John. He compiled a very extensive list of places to get parts for 49-51 Mercurys. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=331564
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